Spelt is not gluten-free. Why am I writing this post? Education. Spelt is not safe for those with Celiac Disease to consume. Spelt is a species of wheat. Wheat is gluten. 2 + 2 = 4. More on spelt from Wikipedia:
Spelt (Triticum spelta) is a hexaploid species of wheat. Spelt was an important staple in parts of Europe from the Bronze Age to medieval times; it now survives as a relict crop in Central Europe and northern Spain and has found a new market as a health food. Spelt is sometimes considered a subspecies of the closely related species common wheat (T. aestivum), in which case its botanical name is considered to be Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta.
I have heard may people tell me that I should try spelt pretzels or spelt bread. No, it isn’t gluten-free. I have read about people following the gluten-free diet eating spelt & promoting it as gluten-free. No, it isn’t gluten-free. I overheard some people talking about spelt being gluten-free the other day and wasn’t in a position to chime in. This type of situation can be sticky, as I don’t want to come off as preachy, but I would hate for someone to unnecessarily get sick or feel bad because they were not aware.
Nothing anybody says is going to make spelt safe to eat for those who have Celiac Disease. If you happen to be following the gluten-free diet for some other reason (gluten intolerance, autism, allergy, etc) and choose to eat spelt, that is your own prerogative, but it still isn’t gluten-free. LOL….I think I have made my point!
Starting the gluten-free diet can be very intimidating. You are getting information from all different directions and trying to figure out what is what. For this reason, it is important to make sure that the information you are getting is correct. Consulting a website like The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness helps to ensure the information is right.
There are so many wonderful gluten-free flours out there that once you get acclimated to the diet and know what is what, things will be much easier. There are really many more things out there that we can have, than can’t.
